If just one thing could define emerging economies it 's a young population -- and no other place reflects this more directly than in the world of tech startups .

`` If you look at Vietnam or Cambodia or Myanmar , they do n't suffer from the up-ended triangle that we all suffer from in the West of too many old people and too few young people , '' said Napoleon Biggs , a Hong Kong-based digital media specialist .

Venture capitalists and startup funds are now circling South East Asia looking for ideas to invest in .

He said groups like Rocket Internet from Germany were very good at identifying `` clones , '' or emerging market copies of internet ideas that have originated elsewhere .

`` They raise significant amounts of money and they 're not embarrassed about cloning because they say it 's all about execution , which it is . ''

Frontier markets are where these investors are seeing the greatest returns .

`` They 've gone into places like Myanmar with a vengeance , '' Biggs said . `` They are bringing western business savvy and they find a local partner to make it happen . ''

One recurring feature of emerging market startups is that they are often aimed at solving specific problems in a country .

`` In the West , the internet is often slagged off as a place where people waste their time , '' said Biggs . `` In emerging economies , it 's more likely to be specifically engineered to overcome an existing problem . ''

Click through the gallery above to see some of Asia 's most innovative companies chosen by Napoleon Biggs , angel investor Simon Squibb , analyst Xiafeng Wang of Forrester and Ping Wong of the Hong Kong Internet Society .

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Startups in emerging markets are designed by and aimed at a young population

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Investors are making significant outlays in startups in emerging economies

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Rocket Internet has a large presence in frontier markets such as Myanmar

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Emerging economies are more likely to develop ideas that overcome specific problems